Proportioner



F' April 24, 1945.

E. J. VVENDELL iROPORTIONER Filed Sept. 8, 1943 mew,-

EVERT J. WENDELL.

the principal objects of a this invention mun-requiring the Patented Apr. 24, 1945 mm Jansen Wendell, w mesne assignments, to

Inc., Philadelphia, Pa.,

ware

a ne, as assigno by National Foam' System, a corporation ofDela Application .september s, 1943, seta1 Not 501,51 '3'Claims. (o1.- ieagm This invention relates generally to apparatus for .use in the generation of mechanical or air foam employed .:in "the exti-nguishment of fires an-dmore particularly to an is improved construction-of apparatus forintroduc'ing a foam stabilizingsolution :into a stream of water.

1 In the production :of the so-call'ed mechanical 01' air foam, the usuaYprocedure involves flowing a high velocity .stream of water -laden with-.a foam-forming substancethrough-a condu'it to finally suitable gas =(usually air froin atmosphere) is entrained in :such manner asto cause a mingling of the liquid and zgas as they move :in the conduit toward the :point of discharge therefrom.

fIypical :of this method of producing mechanical foamis that which (is described in United States Letters Patent No. 2,106,043, granted January 18, 1938, wand No.- 2,198,585 April 23, 1940.

, In order to insure 'theproduction of foam of the desired uniform quality, it .is necessary that the rate of introduction of the foam-forming material into the flowing-stream of water be proportional to the rate of flow of thewater, while in order to vinsure v anvadequateprojection of the foam from. the discharge .noz zle -it is necessary to maintain .a 'considerable 'head of pressure upon the watertstream. "It =is'-among to provide an apparatusrby which hoth of these desired objectives maybe secured. a i l i .The present systems and apparatus is primarily; designed r120 provide for the' contiliuous production of gfire extinguishingp "foam as well as aior reflective npropoiitioning aof't-he foam iormting; material with the water stream even under a will appear more fully hereinafter, it being Aunderstood that the invention consists substan- .11) a point therein where *the stream is subdivided: or dispersed and where a [conditions where :the iavailable l source of water i {is under a pressure 511011118113 rinsuli'icient to ade- ..quately produceifoam, [and to thisend the present invention? has as its object the-proViSion which atboosterhpump is-aso em- ,ployed in conjunction with-ma ifoam stabili'zer proportionerdevice ashtoestablish an operating .suction iimthe latter adequate zto inject the .foameforming material iintovthe water stream at a ,ratewlnch suitably :propontioned tothe rate of rflow .of *water through lthe main conduit. Still other Vi -objects "anid ad-vantages of i the ypresent; invention, such as the provision of -a unit which exceedinglyflcompac't and simple in constnuction iwhich is easily operable 'w ithconstant attendance of operator and which-is extremely efilcient imuse,

connection Sing fmateri-al, I *the fomi 'of'an aqueous solution .of alsecondary extract of licorice,-of* saponin or of other siiittially in; the combination; construction, location andv relative arrangement of parts, tall as will be described in detail hereinafter, as shown .in the accompanying drawing and [as finally pointed out in the appended claims.

In the said accompanying'drawingjwhich i1- lustrates a preferred embodiment offthe present invention:

(F gure 1' illustrates a system embodying the' present invention; I Figure? is a top-plan view of thepropor'tioner employed in the system taken on the line'2-2 oif'Figure 1;

Figure 3 isa sectional view taken unlined-4 bf"l' igure 2; v

""Figure 4 is a-sect-ionalview taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3 but showing the-valve plug of the proportional closed against *fiow of "the foam stabilizing solution therethrough; and

Figure '5 is a perspecti-ve view oi thevalve plug assembly.

"Referring now to the drawing-and first more particularly to Figure 1 which shows inureor less schematically the-system of the present invention, 'itwwill be :notd that this system essentiailly includes -.a "main conduit IB, a pump M, a i-by-zpass vconduit I2 and :a foam petitioner [3 by *means of which a suitable fcam stabilizer solution, derived from a suitable sourceof -supply aQn-ot shown); is infiected into a stream xof' water fiowing through the conduit :10. i This conduit 'l D is connected, .a't its iiilet end,- toasuitable sourcecof water "supply no't shown), while its opposite or connected to a suitable througnwhieh the water mixed with the iioam stabilizer solution-is [delivered to the point where ,air is entrained thereiniand thence discharged i the form of-fire extinguishing ,foam. The manner-of and means for eifecting the entrainment of air or other gas into :thestreamwof water laden with the .foam-iorming substance forms no .part of the present invention, and, "no detailed description thereof will -be given herein, 'the present invention 'ti'cularly to the means for introducing into the water stream therequisite .quantity of the foam stabilizingsolution. It' ivill be understood in-this that .tliisiinvention is not limited to the use of particular type of foam-formidisoharge end is :hose =(also not shown) nd' that usually thi s'materiallis in stabilizer probeing directed more parwhile the discharge end or outlet of the propor- I tioner injector device I3 is connected as at It to the intake or suction side ofthe .pump i! .f,

As appears most clearly in Figures 2 to 4, 1nclusive, the injector device i3 includes a main body member i6 having an'internal, cylindrically IT, one end of which is permanently closed by an end wall l8 formed as an integral part ofthe main body I6. The opposite or open end of this cylindrically shaped chamber I1 is closed by an end plate l9 suitably secured to the main body It by the bolts 20 or other such uitable securing elements. Preferably, a gasket 2| is interposed between the end plate I!) and the body Hi to effectively seal the internal chamber ll of the injector device. Provided in the annular wall of the main body member 16 are a plurality of openings respectively constituting the inlet and outlet ports for the injector and the intake port for the foamforming solution, these ports being respectively indicated by the reference numerals 22, 23 and 24. It will be noted that the intake port 22, which shaped chamber is adapted to be connected, as at 25, to the conduit I2, communicates with the conduit! connected to the dischargeor pressure side of the pump ll thesaid inlet port 22 being in communication with the internal chamber 11 of themain body of the injector device by way of arestr icted passage 26. The outlet port 23 of the injectordevice, which is also in direct communication with the internaI chamber 11, is connected to the conduit 10, as at l5, by an injector tube 21, the bore 28 of which is preferably tapered as shown most clearlyin Figure 3. The foam stabilizer intake port 24- is connected, as at 29, to a suitable conduit3fi leading to a suitable supply of foam stabilizer solution (not shown).

Snugly fitted within the internal chamber ll of the main body l6 of theinjector device is a cylindrical valveplug 3|. from one end of which axially extends an operating stud or shaft 32 to which is secured an operating handle 33. The stud 32 of the valve plug projectsthrough an opening 34 formed inthe end plate 19, the stud 32' being of sufficient length 'to provide a freely extending portion for receiving the hub 35 of the operating handle 33.-Preferably, this hub is secured-to the shaft 32 by means of a transversely extending pin 36.

- The valve plug- 3| is provided with a passage 31 extending transversely therethrough, this pas sage being of such shape and dimension and so arranged relatively to the water inlet and outlet ports 22 and 23 and the foam stabilizer intake port 24, as most clearly appears'in Figure 3, that when the valve plug is rotated into the full line position shOWn in: Figure 3, all of said ports are in free communication with each other, while when said valve plug is rotated into the dotted desired position, either fully or partially opened or closed. In order to insure positioning of the valve in its fully opened or fully closed condition,

coacting stop elements 38 and 39-459 are re- 'spectively provided on the hub 35 of the handle a'nd'the end plate 19 of the valve body, it being apparent that the stop elements 39-39 serve to limit the throw of the'handle 33 in either of two opposite directions.

In the operation of the system of the present invention, it will be apparent thatwhen the valve handleuof the injector device [3 is thrown into the full line positions shown in Figures 1 and 2., in consequence of which the valve plug 3| assumes the dotted line position shown in Figure 3, and assuming that water is being drawn through the conduit ill by a pump H, a portion of the water stream so flowing through the conduit will be forced under pressure through the by-pass conduit I2 to and through the injector device I3. The water so by-passed out of the main stream and delivered to the inlet port 22 of the injector device issues from therestricted passage 26 in the form of a high velocity jet and creates a suction in the immediatefregion of the reduced upper end of the injector tube 21 (viewed as in Figure 3), which is suflicient to induce the flow offoam stabilizer solution through the intake port 24 and into the stream flowing through the tube 21, the foam-formingsolution, so mixed with the water, being thus introduced into the main stream on 40 the suction side of the pump II. The water-sta- "port 22 is completely closed off from the water bilizer mixture then passes through the pump and is forced byv the latter through the discharge conduit to the point where air is entrained to form the requisite foam. This cycle of operation continues so long as water isdelivered through the conduit In to the pump and foam stabilizer solution to the injector device.

Should it be desired to shut off the supply of foam stabilizer solution so as to discharge only plain water from the discharge side of the pump H, the valve handle 33 of the injector device is rotated into the dotted line position shown in Figure 3, with the result that'the valve plug will assume the dotted line position shown therein, and in this latter position the delivery of water through the by-pass conduit [2 will be interrupted with corresponding interruption in delivery of the foam stabilizer solution into the main stream of flowing .water. Should it be desired to flush the conduit 30 through which foa'm fo'rming solution is delivered to the injector device, as when the supply of foam stabilizer solution has been exhausted and it is desired to recondition the conduit 30 for, use with a further supply-of foam-forming liquid, the plug valve 3| may be rotated by its handle 33 into an intermediate position so as to close off only the outlet'port 23. In this latter condition of the valve, water under pressure will be forced by the pump ll through the by-pass conduit l2 into the interior ofthe valve body and thence outwardly thereof-by way of the port 24 into and through the conduit 30, the latter being thus flushed free of the foamforming solution by plain Water.

The arrangement just described for delivering ential in the main water conduit, care must be taken that no air is drawn into the water line on the suction side of the pump because such introduction of air may result in disrupting the suction which is necessary for satisfactory operation of the pump. To avoid this possibility, particularly when the pump is operating to lift water through a considerable height, the initial step in placing the apparatus in operation is preferably to throw the valve into its intermediate position so as to direct suflicient water into the stabilizer pick-up tube 30 as to completely fill it, whereupon the valve is set as shown in Figure 3 to withdraw this water and then the stabilizer from the pickup tube by the suction induced in the central chamber of the valve unit, as hereinbefore described. This insures against sucking any air which may be bound in the stabilizer pick-up tube into the suction side of the pump l I.

By proper design of theapparatus, including proper proportioning of the various ports in the injector device, the ratio of the rate of flow of the foam-forming solution to the rate of flow of the main water stream through the main conduit l may be predeterminedly established and maintained.

It will be understood, of course, that the invention is capable of various changes and modifications which maybe made from time to time without departing from the real spirit or general principles thereof, and it is'accordingly intended to claim the invention broadly, as well as specifically, as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and useful is:

1 In a system for introducing a solution of foam-forming material into a continuously flowing stream of water comprising a main conduit for said water stream, a pump for establishing a pressure difierential in said conduit, a by-pass interconnecting the inlet and outlet sides of said pump, and an injector device connected in said by-pass and adapted for injecting the foam-forrm' viding a, means forflushing thesaid tube and so ing material into the low-pressure portion of said water stream, said device including a chamber having a. restricted water inlet port in one wall thereof, a water outlet port in an opposite wall thereof in approximate registry with said inlet port and an intake port for the foam-forming material disposed intermediate said water inlet and outlet ports, the latter being respectively connected to the high and low pressure portions of said water stream whereby the by-passed water flowing between said water ports in the ejector device induces a suction in the chamber of said device for drawing foam-forming material through'said intake port, said injector device in cluding also a rotary valve plug fitted in said chamber and operative to interrupt the flow of suction-inducing water to and through said water outlet port and direct it to and through said intake port for the foam-forming material.

2. An ejector device adapted for injecting foam stabilizing solution into a water stream, comprising a chamber having a restricted water inlet port in one wall thereof, a, water outlet port in another wall of said chamber in approximate alinement with said water inlet port, said chamher also having a foam stabilizing solution intake port disposed between said water inlet and outlet ports, and valve means in said chamber operative, while in one position, to maintain all of said ports open and in communication with each other, and, while in a second position, to close both the water outlet andstabilizer intake ports.

3. An ejector device adapted for injecting foam stabilizing solution into a water stream. comprising achamber having a restricted water inlet port in one wall thereof, a water outlet port in another wall of said chamber in approximate alinement with said Water inlet port, said chamber also having a foam stabilizing solution intake port disposed between said water inlet and outlet ports, and valve means in said chamber operative, while in one position, to maintain all of said ports open and in communication with each other, and, while in a second position. to close both the water outlet and stabilizer intake ports, said valve means being operative, when in an intermediate position, to close said water outlet port while maintaining said Water inlet and stabilizer intake ports both open and in free communication with each other.

EVERT JANSEN WENDELL. 

